The journal Cell Reports released a revolutionary study today showcasing a newly developed treatment which may be a large leap forward in the long-running path to beat cancer.

Researchers at Universite catholique de Louvain’s Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research in Brussels, Belgium have identified a group of compounds that succeeded in preventing the growth of tumors in mice. The tumors on the mice were modeled after human tumors. The process that leads to the growth of a tumor and the eventual spread of an aggressive cancer is known as metastasis. The researchers in Brussels managed to find one method to essentially block this harmful process.

Professor Pierre Sonveaux and his team focused on the mitochondria in tumor cells, which helps to regulate their growth and is a key supporter of metastasis. Researchers showed that in certain scenarios, “superoxide ions” are overproduced in the mitochondria, which can lead to metastasis and result in the spread of an aggressive cancer. The compounds that succeeded in preventing tumor growth in mice acted as blocks to prevent the production of superoxide ions. Blocking the formation of the ions successfully blocked the process of metastasis.

These groundbreaking results could have a very large impact on cancer treatments in the future as well as on the way that we approach and understand metastasis. The researchers who developed the study hope to eventually replicate their results in a clinical environment. With cancer being amongst the leading causes of death in our nation, research like Professor Sonveaux’s is crucial for the promotion of longevity and scientific progress.

Boston’s WCVB news source recently reported on an exciting new advance in cancer screening. A Boston-based company known as Caliber Imaging and Diagnostics (Caliber I.D.) has developed a technology that allows doctors to detect signs of skin cancer without having to cut out a sample of skin for a traditional biopsy.

This non-invasive skin cancer biopsy has already gained FDA approval and is currently being used in 200 medical facilities throughout the nation. The technique involves using a laser beam to take a peek inside deeper layers of the skin, allowing for definitive diagnoses of suspicious spots that a doctor identifies. The laser beam is considered to be safer than an average bar code scanner. The procedure costs about the same as a traditional biopsy but is not yet covered by insurance.

In most cases, the technology can take the place of traditional biopsy and allow a dermatologist to provide on-the-spot and accurate treatment. Caliber I.D.’s device even allows for a precise marking of the area affected so that surgery can be performed promptly on the same day as the diagnosis is made, if necessary. Researchers see this as a sign of major progress and one day hope to develop technology that will extend to other types of biopsies, slowly eliminating invasive traditional methods and making life simpler for everyone involved. To read the full story about this new non-invasive skin cancer biopsy technology from its original source, click here for WCVB’s article & video.

The study included over 500 middle-aged male subjects, half of which were European-American and half of which were African-American. The males were chosen because they had all undergone biopsies after findings of abnormal prostate cells that could indicate cancer. Approximately half of each group of men ended up with prostate cancer diagnoses. The researchers then determined the vitamin D levels in each male group and found that the lower their levels of vitamin D, the higher their risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

The European-American males were 3.66 times more likely to develop cancer with low vitamin D levels whereas the African-American males were 4.89 times more likely to develop cancer. The researchers suspect this is the case because skin color can affect how much Vitamin D is absorbed, since the main source of vitamin D is the sun.

The researchers plan to investigate this revolutionary finding by going more in-depth throughout the coming years. These findings highlight the importance of regular cancer screenings for middle-aged men and reaffirm the idea that vitamin D can strongly affect the health of males between 49 and 70 years of age. To read the full research study, click here.

Early detection is the best defense against a diagnosis of cancer. Early detection increases your chances of survival because of the reality you will respond better to treatment if the cancer is discovered in its’ early stages.

A misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis in the detection of cancer can mean a death sentence. Cancer can be misdiagnosed by a failure to obtain an accurate history of the illness from the patient, a failure to perform a thorough examination, a failure to recognize actual symptoms or a failure to perform the necessary diagnostic testing to confirm or rule out a certain disease.

A failed, delayed or missed diagnosis can result in severe physical pain and suffering, long term or permanent disability, disfigurement and even premature death. A cancer misdiagnosis creates a financial hardship for those left to deal with the consequences and the responsible individuals should be made to share that hardship. Delayed treatment means lost income, additional healthcare expenses and in some cases, funeral and burial costs.

You may be entitled to financial compensation if you or a loved one was the victim of a failed, delayed or misdiagnosis of cancer. Please contact the highly skilled medical malpractice attorneys, Michael L. Weiss and Robert E. Paarz of Weiss & Paarz, P.C. today to schedule a confidential consultation at no cost to you to ensure your legal rights are protected and you get the financial compensation you deserve.

A Nevada jury recently awarded the family of Elisa Sanchez $2.5 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit. Sanchez recently died due to her doctor’s misdiagnosis of cancer.

In 2004, Sanchez visited her doctor after finding blood in her stool. Her doctor diagnosed her with hemorrhoids, despite the fact that she was suffering from colon and rectal cancer. As a result, Sanchez experienced a seven month delay in the diagnosis and treatment of her cancer.

Had her doctor properly diagnosed the condition at Sanchez’s first visit, she would have had a 97% chance of survival and recovery. Due to her doctor’s negligence, her survival rate dropped to 50%. Sanchez died of cancer in 2007 at age 27.

Surviving cancer strongly depends on early diagnosis and prompt treatment. In a cancer misdiagnosis case, it is critical to demonstrate that the delayed diagnosis resulted in a diminished chance that treatment would lead to recovery.

The Law Offices of Weiss & Paarz P.C. specializes in medical malpractice cases. We believe that by focusing on these highly complex and specific types of cases, we can offer our clients superior representation and better results.